Review: "Wives and Daughters" by Elizabeth Gaskell
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Wives and Daughters was first published as a serial from August 1864 to January 1866 in the Cornhill Magazine. The story revolves around Molly Gibson, the only daughter of a widowed doctor living in an English town in the 1830s.
Molly's friends and acquaintances make up all we know of this quaint, country town. She is also part of a cast of four young people whose romantic interactions are portrayed with striking realism. We do not see love at first sight or passionate attachment that, pursued faithfully, makes up a happy ending. We see arbitrary and consuming love turned into disillusionment. This is contrasted with mature and deeper love that grows slowly and selflessly. The latter is not such an exciting read as the former, but it gives a more lingering impact and marks Gaskell as a mature and thought-provoking novelist rather than a sentimentalist.
While Gaskell enjoyed portraying romantic relationships in her novels, she was also intensely interested in social themes. Wives and Daughters doesn't include the very poor social strata that was in North and South, however economic troubles do visit several major characters. In it's sheer number of social themes and unique characters, Wives and Daughters bears a strong resemblance to Eliot's Middlemarch. It wouldn't be surprising if Eliot were influenced by Gaskell, as Middlemarch came seven years later.
When Gaskell died suddenly in 1865, Wives and Daughters was not quite complete. Her editor, Frederick Greenwood, wrote an appended section describing what Gaskell had planned for the remaining chapters in her notes. There are no surprises for us here, but it would have been nice to read it in her own words. The last scene we are left with, however, perseveres partly because it was in fact the last. In a way, the image of a young gentleman standing on a sidewalk in the rain is much more enduring than several pages of lovers' confessions and professions. While I lament that Gaskell was taken at the young age of 55, I will venture to say that I in fact prefer the ending this way. There is an intriguing and freeing quality to things left unsaid and loose ends left untied.
Discussion
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I want to read this novel. I believe Gaskell was inspired by Maria Edgeworth and there are some similarities between the style of the two writers. Only read Cranford and the Bronte biog by Gaskell so there are some serious gaps! I like what you say about the ending - sometimes a neat resolution is not required!
I do need to read some more Edgeworth--I loved reading your thoughts on Helen, which we should publish soon.
Don't you find yourself skimming over the happy ending pages sometimes? The last few pages of Pride and Prejudice, for example, kind of spoil it for me! I think back to the ending of Wives and Daughters a lot, the young gentleman standing on the sidewalk in the rain. That ending is so exquisite, even if unintentional as an ending.
I absolutely agree with you about the end of the book. The novel is so perfectly written that we can be satisfied with what we have. Although it is sad as it is always guarantee some good laughs and tears on her novel´s finale. Frequently when reading Wives and Daughters I hear the voice of a funny auntie telling me the story. May she be resting in Peace.
PS: I love the way Molly introduces herself: “I am Molly Gibson, please” or “I don´t understand French. I am only Molly Gibson”. She is the sweetest!
Its a beautiful book..intricate plot..lots of characters....a very entertaining read...I loved it and am equally full of regrets that such a book was left incomplete.